Rodrigo

Rodrigo Moreno Machado (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈðɾiɣo moˈɾeno maˈtʃaðo]; born 6 March 1991), known as Rodrigo, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for Premier League club Leeds United and the Spain national team.

He started his career with Real Madrid, appearing solely for its reserve teams. In 2010 he signed with Benfica with whom he won four titles, most notably the domestic treble in the 2013–14 season. He then spent six years at Valencia, scoring 59 goals in 220 games and winning the Copa del Rey in 2019. In 2020, he joined Leeds United.

Born in Brazil, Rodrigo represented Spain at youth level, and in 2013 he won the European Championship with the under-21 team. The following year, he earned his first cap for the senior side, appearing for them at the 2018 World Cup.

Club Career

Early career

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo moved to Spain in his early teens, settling in Galicia and started playing organised football with RC Celta de Vigo. In 2009, aged 18, he moved to Real Madrid to complete his development.

Only a few weeks after arriving, Rodrigo started playing as a senior with the C team. Shortly after, he was promoted to Real Madrid Castilla in Segunda Division B, making his debut with the latter on 29 November 2009 in a 4–3 away win against UD Lanzarote (29 minutes played).

Benfica

On 31 July 2010, Rodrigo signed a five-year contract with S.L. Benfica for a reported fee of €6 million. Real Madrid had an option to re-buy the player for €12 million during the next two seasons; however, after Fabio Coentrao's transfer to the Spanish club, both parties agreed to cancel the buyback clause.

The following month, Rodrigo joined Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League on a season-long loan.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Родриго (russian)